Census questions and answers

Readers share concerns about process, cost

March 30, 2010|By Kristen Mack, Tribune reporter

Thursday, April 1, is National Census Day, the date by which Americans are being asked to return their census forms to the federal government. Tribune readers have raised concerns about the process and the cost of the operation, worried that the government says it will have to spend another $57 each time an enumerator has to come to the door to follow up.

Q: What should I do if I still have not received a form?

A: Be patient. Census officials are asking people to wait a little longer, because forms are still being delivered — although the bureau started mailing forms in early March. If you did not get your original form, a replacement may be on its way. If a form still has not arrived by April 12, then you can contact one of the bureau's 2010 toll-free help lines. The bureau also has opened assistance centers where forms can be completed in person through April 19. The addresses and phone numbers can be found on the bureau's Web site at 2010census.gov.

Q: Is the bureau sending forms to empty and vacant houses?

A: This question came from a reader who owns an unoccupied house in Berwyn that did not receive a form. He wanted to avoid having an enumerator come out later. The Census Bureau says it sends a form to every house, even if it's empty. But "generally speaking, the U.S. Postal Service does not deliver mail to vacant housing units. They return the forms back to us as undeliverable," according to Stephen Laue, a spokesman for the bureau's Chicago Regional Office.

To be sure the houses are empty, census workers will begin visiting homes with unreturned questionnaires in May. It is a byproduct of the foreclosure crisis that the bureau has to verify whether homes are vacant and will inevitably add to the cost of the census, Laue said. "Given our mandate to count everyone in the country, we are obliged to do this," he said.

Q: What is the total cost of the census operation? How much does it cost to send advance letters and reminder post cards?

A: A lot of people apparently are searching for ways to save the bureau (and therefore taxpayers) money.

The estimated cost of the 2010 census is $14.5 billion, which covers the budget through fiscal years 2001 to 2013 and includes the American Community Survey each of those years. The ACS, which asks moredetailed questions, is done continuously throughout the year and the decade.

The advance letters began arriving a week before the forms, advising that the forms were on their way. The reminder postcard came about a week later, encouraging people to fill it out and thanking them if they already had.

The cost to mail both is an estimated $85 million, according to Jim Accurso, a spokesman for the Chicago Regional Census Center, who said the advance letter increases responses between 6 and 12 percent.

Q: Why can't the census form be completed digitally?

A: The Census Bureau determined that an Internet option would not increase the response rate, or provide significant cost savings. There also were security concerns. One census official said when the bureau began testing alternatives to the pen-and-paper form in 2000, it did not anticipate the ubiquity of the Internet a decade later.

The census bureau is already preparing for the 2020 census, and digital filing is a possibility, Accurso said. If it is offered, it will only be an option, not a requirement, he said.